1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to camera enclosures, and more particularly to a surface mountable enclosure for a surveillance camera system that can alternatively be used for either exposed or recessed mounting of a surveillance camera system, as well as methods of installation thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the field of surveillance cameras, it is often desirable for the camera to be mounted on or in the ceiling or soffit in a room, or underneath an outdoor eave. In many cases, all of the surveillance camera components, including the camera, its motors and mechanics, are mounted inside a large enclosure that is attached to and hangs down from the lower surface of the ceiling. In order to protect the camera from outside elements while maximizing the camera viewing area below the ceiling surface, a transparent dome is often provided as part of the enclosure.
It is often desirable for space, convenience or conspicuousness purposes, to reduce the number of components that protrude below the ceiling line. In these circumstances, less exposure of the surveillance camera system below the ceiling line results in a less bulky appearance on the ceiling, and the camera dome and mount may more closely resemble a light fixture. Such recessed or flush mounting takes up less ceiling space and draw less attention to the camera enclosure. In order to accomplish recessed mounting, the back box containing the camera motors and mechanics must be mounted at or above the ceiling line, so that only the camera dome (containing the camera itself) and a peripheral trim ring extend below the line.
Existing camera mounting structures and enclosures tend to be bulky and cumbersome. Some structures are designed solely to be mounted on a surface, and therefore extend conspicuously outward therefrom. Such structures do not provide any means to reduce this extension, as exemplified by the disclosures in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,028,997 and 5,818,519, as well as D-388,450, D-412,924, and D-415,509, among others. Other devices include back box structures that are partially recessed, but extend both above and below the ceiling line, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,739,703 and 4,160,999. Then there are devices such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,833,534; 4,901,146; 5,121,215; 5,223,872; 5,394,184; 5,627,616; and 6,234,691, among others, which include large back box assemblies that are mounted entirely above the ceiling line, with only a dome extending below.
Most of the mounting structures identified above are designed primarily for installation in a suspended ceiling, where there is space above the suspended ceiling, and where it is relatively easy to cut a hole in (or remove/replace) a ceiling panel for installation. For example, the housing of U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,008 is designed specifically for use with a suspended ceiling.
It is apparent from a review of the above that there is no single camera enclosure mount that can be used for both surface mounting and recessed mounting of surveillance camera systems, such that a different enclosure or structure must be selected for each type of mounting situation. This is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,882, where several different camera mounting structures are disclosed, one for a surface mount, another for a recessed mount and yet another for a pendant mount.
It is therefore desirable to provide a dual-purpose mounting structure and enclosure for a surface mounted surveillance camera system that can alternatively be used either (a) to provide a large surface mounted enclosure for holding all of the camera components outside the surface, or (b) to provide a recessed enclosure in which the camera back box and many of the camera system components are mounted behind the surface (e.g. above the ceiling line), leaving a smaller and less conspicuous fixture extending outward.